Author's Note:

I'm back! I had an absolutely wonderful vacation with my Fiancé! Unfortunately, I had zero time to write for you guys until I got back. Actually, most of this chapter I had written in attempts to post it before I left…. But as you can see, that didn't happen. I had to clean my house and pack before my Fiancé arrived. Life gets in the way sometimes.

Thank you to those who granted me warm wishes for my vacation! And thank you for those who have patiently waited for an update! My Fiancé left late on the second of August, so I think I'm doing well to get this chapter up so quickly. Anyways, I genuinely adore my readers, so I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter.

Unfortunately, this chapter is unbeta'd. I was in too much of a rush to send it off. I wanted to post this chapter for you guys as soon as possible since ya'll have been so patient. So… please excuse any mistakes.

LOVE YOU GUYS!

Chapter 13

My back was pressed up against the SUV; it was cool to the touch due to the night air. My lips were being assaulted by a pair of lips that were soft. Although they weren't as soft as Dimitri's. Dimitri. These weren't Dimitri's lips!

No. These lips belonged to a different Dhampir, Joshua. Joshua who I had tried being nice to, but didn't reciprocate his feelings. Joshua who I had tried to leave back at camp. Joshua who had insisted on following me to the SUV. Joshua who had found the bracelet he had carved for me. Joshua who had automatically taken it as a sign that I loved him. Joshua who was a fool.

There was only one way to react in a situation like this. I acted instinctually. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt right under his neck, slightly pushing him away from me. The moment his lips broke away from mine, my fist was flying towards his face. I swung hard, my instincts not holding back. Although I wasn't exactly aiming, my knuckles found a decent mark. My fist had collided with his nose and upper mouth. His nose immediately spurted out blood, some of it landing on me before he could pull himself away from my grip.

He was making sounds of pain as he doubled over, letting the blood free fall onto the grassy floor. Only an incredibly minute part of me felt bad for socking the poor guy. I had previously wanted to try to be nice to Joshua and attempt to put him down delicately. I was more worried though that this could negatively impact my mission here, since I was supposed to be playing diplomat to Joshua's father. I guess I would have to explain that there were some lines that could not be crossed. Kissing me, unprovoked, was one of those lines that I wouldn't tolerate being breached.

Most of me was irate. How dare he kiss me? Sure, I had kept the bracelet, but that was because I genuinely thought it was pretty. It wasn't because I harbored any feelings for Joshua other than friendship, although I was harboring quite a bit of frustration towards him at the moment.

"I think you broke my nose!" He exclaimed, still bent over. Blood was still dripping onto the grassy plain.

"You better be glad that is all I broke!" I snapped. I couldn't believe this guy. How could he be shocked that I had punched him after he assaulted me with his mouth? I saw his actions as completely unprovoked. "Don't you dare touch me ever again without my consent or your nose will be the least of your worries!" I shouted. He was still holding the bracelet. As far as I was concerned, it was more trouble than it was worth. I grabbed my clutch, placing it with the rest of my bags before I stormed away. I didn't care if Joshua followed or not. Unfortunately for me, he did follow. Although he was too busy clutching his face to grab any of the supplies left in the vehicle. I rolled my eyes since he couldn't see me. Way to forget your original goal.

He tried to get my attention, but I astutely ignored him. I had no interest in what he had to say at the moment. I had no tolerance for guys who pushed themselves onto women. I stomped back to the clearing that lead to the epicenter of the Keeper's town. Once Dimitri caught sight of me, it's like he could visually see the virtual thunder storm that was looming over my being. It only took a few of his long graceful strides to meet up with me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern lacing his voice. His eyes were darting all over, inspecting me for injury and examining our surroundings for danger. His eyes fell on Joshua's blood that had leaked onto me. I scrunched my nose up, thinking about what had transpired at the SUV. I decided to spare a glace back at Joshua who had gone a towards his father's house once we had exited the woods. Dimitri followed my gaze, his deep chocolate eyes landing on an obviously injured Joshua. People rushed to his aide. Just seeing him again caused me to remember the taste of his kiss. I spat the saliva coating my mouth on the ground as if it were still contaminated by Joshua. Dimitri raised his eyebrow as if amused.

"I'm guessing that you had something to do with that?" He asked, gesturing towards Joshua. I looked up into Dimitri's laughing eyes. I glared up at him, obviously not pleased by him finding the situation so humorous. Maybe he wouldn't be laughing if he knew exactly what happened. Dimitri took my glare as confirmation. He chuckled. It was a deep, rich sound that warmed my soul. It was amazing how the simplest things about Dimitri could affect me to my core. Not everyone could cause a chuckle from Dimitri like that. It had been an entirely rare occurrence while we had been stuck at St. Vladimir's.

"You might not be laughing if you knew what actually transpired." I said, narrowing my eyes at the handsome Adonis who stood before me. His face became more serious, his eyes tinted with a hint of curiosity.

"And what happened, pray tell?" Pried Dimitri, shifting closer to me. I tilted my head to the side a little before answering, preparing to observe Dimitri's response.

"Apparently someone is still harboring unrequited feelings and acted upon them." I spat, a scowl still hanging on my face. Dimitri immediately tensed, acting like he wanted to physically step between Joshua, who was immediately deemed a threat, and myself.

"And what did he attempt?" He asked stiffly, suddenly eyeing my spittle on the ground. Maybe he suspected it was a clue to the events he had missed.

"Let's just say that maybe I should have aimed a little bit lower. If I had knocked out a few teeth, maybe he would be less tempted to use the offending body parts on an unwilling woman." I said, a single dark laugh escaping my lips. Dimitri's head tilted in curiosity, his features still darkened with concern.

"So he attempted to kiss you?" Asked Dimitri, wanting confirmation in his suspicions. His voice was lower than usual, his accent a little more pronounced. I think Dimitri preferred the truth to be black and white, instead of me dropping hints. Another dark singular scoff escaped my lips.

"I probably wouldn't have had to actually punch him if it was just an attempt. I could have pushed him away, but no. There was full contact, and I couldn't allow that to go unpunished." I said, my mind now focused inwardly on the memory flitting across my brain. Dimitri emitted a low growl that was only for my ears. He was my alpha male, and I was his mate. Although I had my back turned towards camp, I saw Dimitri look behind me, presumably at Joshua. When I looked up at Dimitri, I was surprised to see a smirk gracing his lips. It was dark, almost sinister. I attempted, and failed to raise one of my eye brows.

"How good did you get him? From here it looks like he's still bleeding." He said, a hint of amusement showing in his voice. His eyes were still shady though, as if contemplating if Joshua was an actual threat or not. He should have known better, honestly.

"It was a pretty sound hit." I said, before grabbing my bags again and starting to continue the task of hauling them back to the newly erected tent. I was right, Dimitri was fast with his tent building skills, although this tent was more elaborate then the last one we had both used. Dimitri almost immediately caught up to me, taking one of my bags from me. It didn't take long for us to reach our new dwelling.

Supplies were scattered everywhere around the tent. Our helpers had been kind to deliver the equipment, but had no clue where to put them. I sighed, looking at the mess. This was one of the parts I disliked about things like this. I would much rather book a hotel where things were organized in advance than having to take care of it myself. I sighed, knowing there were still supplies back at the SUV. We had really packed too much.

"Why don't you stay here Milaya?" Dimitri asked, joining me in surveying our campsite. "I'll go retrieve the rest of our supplies." He volunteered. I looked up at him, my eyes narrowing slightly.

"You just want to keep me away from Joshua." I said slyly, calling him out. Dimitri blushed, which only encouraged me. "Afraid I won't continue to put him down, Comrade?" I teased.

"No." He immediately responded. "Although, if he touches you again, he will have a Russian inquisition to deal with." He was teasing, but I heard the seriousness behind his voice as well. Dimitri was a man who had a decent handle on his self-control, but I had seen it crumble before. Most of the time he prided himself on self-restraint, but I knew subconsciously he didn't always want to remain in control. I could see the way his eyes darkened every time he looked back towards the direction of Joshua. Now that we were actually dating, Dimitri had gotten even more protective of me.

In the end, I agreed to start organizing all the supplies. I internally was thankful for choosing a larger tent. It would also make staying here more bearable if we had to stay here for an extended period of time. I started by assembling the place where we would sleep. We had managed to procure a queen sized cot with a blow up air mattress. Unfortunately, it had to be a pump up mattress since the Keeper's didn't have electricity. By the time I had it assembled, Dimitri had already come back with more supplies and was headed back to the vehicle. There was another familiar face outside our tent though.

"I didn't even know you were back until I heard you punched my brother." Said the voice of Angeline. She surprised me, and I jumped in the slightest. Angeline was Joshua's sister. She had fought me last time when she thought I wanted to marry her brother. It was a sore point in my history, although I had won the fight.

"Well, I wasn't exactly trying to announce my presence quite yet. I was more worried about settling in." I said, grabbing some boxes and pulling them inside the tent. They contained a small propane stove and some rations. Angeline grabbed another box and followed me, apparently volunteering her services.

"So you thought the best way to remain under the radar was to start a fight? Doesn't sound very smart to me." She said. She was never one to sensor what she said, and now was no different.

"I didn't start a fight. I only punched someone who deserved it." I huffed while storing supplies. She stopped and looked up at me. I continued my chore.

"And what did he do to deserve it?" She queried. She stood firm in her stance as she stared me down. It was a natural demeanor of hers. I had heard she could be quite a bully. I think she portrayed herself this way as a second nature now. I attempted to raise an eyebrow and failed. Damn Russian and his eyebrow talents.

"He kissed me" I said softly, not wanting to admit it to his sister. I rather wished it could just be a forgotten topic now, although I knew that wasn't going to happen. No doubt too many people had seen him bleeding.

"No fuckin way." She said, flabbergasted. "My brother actually got the balls to kiss you? He has this huge crush on you." She said, that gob smacked tone still accentuating her voice. She was looking at me unbelievingly too. I was personally weirded out now. Since when were Angeline and I on good terms? She had never been so forthcoming with information before. I looked at her suspiciously. I wasn't too keen on trusting this strawberry blonde firecracker just yet, even if she had treated me like such a familiar figure.

I turned, going back to putting supplies away while keeping tabs on her out of the corner of my eye. She kept staring at me like I had said something preposterous. I managed to put away several boxes of supplies before she seemingly reanimated. Apparently it had taken her a while to process the information and its implications. Her eyes finally darted around the tent. They landed and stayed on our single cot.

"Isn't that big guy here with you again? What was his name…. Dimitri?" She asked. I looked up at her and nodded, going back to my chore. "But then why is there only one bed-" She started. She stopped when Dimitri stiffly entered the tent. When he saw Angeline, he visibly relaxed. My guess was that he could tell two people were in the tent and was afraid Joshua had come back to assault me again.

"Everything alright in here?" He asked, his eyes on me. He hadn't forgotten that the last time we had been here, Angeline had picked a fight with me.

"Yeah. Just peachy." I responded, my voice neither sarcastic nor happy. Angeline looked from Dimitri to me and then to the bed. I saw the recognition flash in her eyes as she started putting clues together. She gave me a look that I couldn't read. I didn't exactly know the girl very well, after all. I did, however, notice a mischievous glint in her eye. After all my experiences with her, I couldn't help but think it was something that was going to bite me in the ass one of these days.

"I'll leave you two to finish unpacking." She said before abruptly leaving. Both Dimitri and I stared after her, almost bewildered. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was under the impression that Angeline was acting strange. I had been surprised that she had come to find me initially, none the less stayed and chatted. I couldn't help but think that she was up to something.

Dimitri informed me that the SUV was now empty, and aided me in unpacking all of our supplies. It was a boring task in which I took zero pleasure. I was, however, cheered up when Dimitri decided to cook a light dinner for us. It was late, and many people were heading to bed. We hadn't exactly eaten much besides snacks since breakfast though. Frankly, after all the sweets I had inhaled, I was thankful for some real sustenance to fuel my body.

Raymond stopped by while we were eating in order to invite us to breakfast the following morning. Although he must have known by now that I punched his son, he acted as if nothing happened. I suddenly remembered when Sydney had called this group of people savage. Maybe people getting beat up was a regular occurrence around here.

When we were finally able to turn in for the night, I was extremely thankful for the privacy of our own tent. It had seemed like weeks since our fight about Irina, when in reality it had just been last night. I don't think I was the only one who felt thankful when Dimitri and I crawled into bed together. It was a relief to feel his body close to mine although we had only spent one night apart. So much had happened in one day, and our future was nothing but uncertain at this point. I had no clue how negotiations would go with the Keepers. If today was going to serve as an indication of how future events would play out, then Dimitri and I were in for a lot of trouble.

Dimitri pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn't help but smile as I felt his entire body curling around mine. It made me feel safe and warm, even out in the middle of nowhere. It was a protective, possessive embrace yet it felt amazing. Neither of us had slept well the previous night, but tonight was a completely different story. Wrapped in his embrace and ambrosial scent, I easily drifted off into a deep slumber. Sleep I might need in order to deal with my upcoming day to day troubles with the Keepers.

~ooo0ooo~

I awoke to the Russian's eyes caressing my face. His gaze was gentle and caring, as if committing my features to memory. I couldn't help but smile up at the man who had stolen my heart. He still looked at me in admiration after nearly a year of spending time together. Part of me was always afraid that would fade for him, although I knew he would always awe me. He was too handsome, too graceful for his own good. No one else could make me weak in the knees like Dimitri can. I could appreciate other handsome men in the world, but Dimitri was like my own personal poison. One glance from him could affect me in ways no other man can.

After spending entirely too long in bed waking up in each other's arms, we finally got ready for the day. After exhausting a fair amount of time grumbling about the lack of running water in our quarters, I finally made it to the stream with my tooth brush. Later today I would have to make it my mission to transport potable water to the tent. Oh how I am not looking forward to chores! As I furiously brushed my teeth I thought about what tasks might be asked of me while temporarily living in this community. I hoped they would give me more physical tasks rather than typical girl chores. The physicality of a task would ease my frustration. I just knew I was going to desperately miss technology.

By the time I was returning to the tent, Dimitri was headed to the stream to accomplish the same task I had. I continued cleaning up, trying to tame the unruly curls in my long dark mane. I was already missing my bathroom.

Dimitri and I headed to Raymond's house together. Raymond had invited us to breakfast this morning. By morning, I mean the vampiric morning. The Keeper's abided by the vampire schedule. There was no way the Moroi in the group would be able to comfortably accomplish their chores during the heat of the day.

When we reached the house, Dimitri politely knocked on the door. It was his human wife, Sarah, who answered the door, smiling widely. After greeting us, she continued to set their table, their children bustling about aiding their mother. Raymond was hunched over the fireplace cooking something that looked similar to sausage.

The smell suddenly floated into my nostrils, causing my stomach to lurch. My hand immediately flew to my mouth. My gag reflex involuntarily kicked into effect. I immediately darted back out of the house, flying to a nearby bush. I heaved, emptying the contents of my stomach again and again into the leafy shrub. Dimitri was seconds behind me, defenses high. As soon as I started vomiting, he grabbed my hair, holding it for me. He was good for things like that.

He slowly rubbed my back as my body finally started ceasing its' involuntary motions. I was on my hands and knees in front of this bush that I had emptied my bowel into. I absolutely abhorred vomiting.

"Did you manage to catch a stomach bug?" He asked, his voice full of concern. He knew as well as I that Dhampirs didn't get sick very easily. Part of me wanted to glare at him for something that seemed apparent to me.

"Seems to be the obvious culprit." I responded, clearly unimpressed. I finally sat back, my stomach content to stay still for once. "Can you go apologize for me while I go brush my teeth again? I didn't think about bringing something like mouthwash here. I'll be back as soon as I can." I said, feeling put out. Dimitri asked several more questions first, my health an apparent concern for him now. Although, now that I had no contents weighing down my stomach, I felt significantly better. Actually, I didn't feel bad at all anymore. Weird.

Finally, he set off back to Raymond's house while I made my way back to our tent. Luckily, it wasn't too awfully far. The wheels in my mind were spinning now that I was alone and mechanically going through the everyday motions of brushing my teeth.

I had technically died twice in my life already. Spirit's darkness had also been a major impact on my life in recent years. Could any of that permanently changed my life? Could it override my natural Dhampir genes that kept me from usually getting sick? Was something wrong with me now that I am no longer bonded to Lissa? My thoughts and fears were getting progressively darker as I finished brushing my teeth again, and headed back to Raymond's home. I knew that vomiting wasn't necessarily something to be ashamed of, but with the fears bustling around in my head I found myself embarrassed as I reentered the house.

Dimitri had saved me a seat next to him, and rose as soon as I entered. Everyone else seemed to have a smile on their face, save Joshua, who managed to sit far away from me. After making sure I was firmly in my seat, Dimitri sat next to me. He was sure being chivalrous today. Maybe I shouldn't be suspicious about that behavior. This is Dimitri we are talking about.

"I'm sorry about earlier." I said, wanting to get that out of the way as soon as possible. Raymond turned his smile on me.

"It's nothing to be sorry for. It happens to our human brethren on occasion too." He responded kindly. It still caused me to flinch internally. Human. He just compared me to a human.

"Do you want to try to eat, or would you rather refrain if your stomach is acting up?" Asked his wife, Sarah, unaware to my reaction to her husband's previous statement.

"I wouldn't mind testing out some food on my stomach if you still have some available." I said nicely, smiling at her. She had never been anything but kind to me, and I appreciated her gestures. Polite chit chat ensued amongst the others while I was brought a plate of food. It looked delicious. Sure, it didn't have the composure of a five star restaurant, but it looked like tasty breakfast. No opossum here. I couldn't help but leak a small smile thinking about my food fears on my last trip here. I got over it relatively fast though. I've always been a big eater.

I tentatively nibbled on some bread that had been provided before moving on to braver selections like the eggs and sausage. My stomach gave no new signs of discontentment, and I quickly finished my plate. In fact Dimitri was looking at me astounded as he continued the conversation with our hosts.

"You never cease to amaze." Dimitri said softly. I heard a collective chuckling from around the table. I jerked my head up.

"Hmm?" I asked, after being pulled out of my own little food inclusive world. It had tasted so good, as if I had been starved and it was exactly what my body needed in order to survive. It's amazing how something so simple can taste so ambrosial. I had stopped mid chew when my head jerked up. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings again which consisted of Raymond's family watching me inhale my food.

"Less than half an hour ago you emptied your stomach, and now you're eating like nothing happened." Continued Dimitri. I shrugged confidently.

"You know me, I can't operate cohesively on an empty stomach." I said, smiling. Dimitri, along with others at the table, shook his head at me. Raymond seemed to be enjoying the exchange, welcoming talented warriors into his house. Joshua, on the other hand, sulked at his end of the table. I surveyed him well for the first time since last night. I had most definitely given him a fat lip. His upper lip was at least double, if not triple, its normal size. I could also see bruising around his nose. I had punched him pretty hard though. Raymond caught on to my line of sight.

"I bet you'd still be able to throw punches like that on an empty stomach." He said, watching my reaction. His eyes were smiling. I shrugged again, smiling back at him.

"I don't ever risk it if possible." I responded. I could hear Dimitri's chuckle beside me. It was a deep, sonorous sound that wrapped around me like a warm blanket. Oh how I loved that sound. It was a very relaxing atmosphere, despite the fact that I had beaten up one of the members currently residing around the table. Seasoned fighters such as Dimitri and myself were valuable commodities in communities like this. It was why we had been welcomed back with open arms.

"Did you kill the Strigoi you were hunting?" Asked Raymond, the mood perceivably shifting in the room. I looked up at him confused for a moment, before remembering why we had left to begin with. When we left the Keepers the first time, we had been on our way to Lexington, Kentucky in order to get more information on Sonya Karp.

"Oh, yeah. Of course we did." I said nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. In all reality, it no longer felt like a big deal to me. But then again, I had killed more Strigoi in the past year than most guardians killed in their entire life. I was quickly becoming known as deadly. The children's eyes around the table all became saucers, wide with excitement.

"How many were there? Was it easy?" Asked Angeline, obviously wanting to know more about the battle.

"There were three. We took them down as a team, efficient as usual." Replied Dimitri, short and to the point. He wasn't the type to emphasize or exaggerate the details on a Strigoi kill. Of course, he wasn't usually the chatty type in general.

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about that, why don't we talk about how you have managed to continue to get away from all the guardians looking for you after you killed the Tainted Queen." Said Angeline, not happy with our evasiveness.

I froze.

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